The long rumored X Men series at Fox is not quite a reality yet but it is getting a bit closer. The network is in early negotiations with Marvel about exploring the superhero franchise in television, expanding the current pact 20th Century Fox has for the characters in features. Fox TV Group chairman Gary Newman confirmed the talks to TVInsider. The project, which is in nascent stages contingent on a deal with Marvel, would be created by 24 executive producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto as well as J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay (Star Trek 3), with Katz and Coto serving as showrunners.

A deal would make 20th Century Fox TV the third major TV studio making superhero series, joining Marvel/ABC Studios, which has Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter as well as four Netflix series, and Warner Bros. TV, which has DC-themed Gotham, Arrow and The Flash.

I’d love to see this done well, but I feel like it’ll be disappointing if it happens. A series could really do justice to the X-Men’s history and some of the legitimate, compelling and very human drama the team experienced in the 70s and 80s. How exciting would it be to get a season-long arc dedicated to the Phoenix saga, which the 90s cartoon did a good job with but the movies botched? It would be interesting to see how Fox would even place a series in light of the franchise’s films.

1. Visual effects on TV have gotten better.2. We could see already introduced characters (i.e. Rogue, Iceman) and storylines (i.e., The Phoenix Saga) done right3. I have always wanted to see this come to fruition.

This could be really amazing. But then we have Heroes and Shield and Agent Carter (haven’t seen this one yet) as reminders that things don’t always work when done by network standards with a live action concept.

The 90’s cartoon handled the Phoenix saga very well, the whole show was great really, so I hope that if it gets done, they learn from what they did.

In theory, this could work. If given a limited run each season, and given a not too big cast, a series could delve into storylines that are too hard to adapt in 2 hours and give characters who got shafted in the films more depth (i.e. anyone not named Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, or Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence version)). The problem is that the series won’t be able to get the major characters in (at least with the current actors as most are stars and won’t want to commit even further), meaning we would likely get C-list characters. In addition, the series won’t be able to show the kind VFX-driven action sequences the series is known for (the X2 opening with Nightcrawler, the Quicksilver scene in DOFP etc.). Since this is on network television, the mass audiences that want these scenes will probably abandon ship as the series will be unable to deliver . If the series manages to strike a balance like with Gotham or Agent Carter, it could be worth it.